Mago Nashi Homolog, Proliferation Associated (MAGOH)

Drosophila that have mutations in their mago nashi (grandchildless) gene produce progeny with defects in germplasm assembly and germline development. This gene encodes the mammalian mago nashi homolog. In mammals, mRNA expression is not limited to the germ plasm, but is expressed ubiquitously in adult tissues and can be induced by serum stimulation of quiescent fibroblasts.

The mammalian Mago (also known as Magoh)-Y14 heterodimer is a component of the exon junction complex. The exon junction complex is deposited on spliced mRNAs and functions in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), a surveillance mechanism that degrades mRNAs with premature translation termination codons.